Chapter 308: Just once.
The warmth enveloped Adelyn, and she couldn’t hold back her smile.
Her hand gently caressed Eira’s soft hair, her fingers moving gently, combing through her silky locks.
"Mama missed Little Eira too." She smiled warmly. "Come here. Let Mama see ... has my baby had her meals well today?"
The little girl immediately took a small step back before lifting her chin proudly to meet Adelyn’s eyes.
"Mama, Eira finished all her breakfast just like you asked."
She proudly raised one finger.
"And then Eira ate all her lunch too."
Another finger.
"In the afternoon, Eira even took her nap."
Finally, she clasped her tiny hands together.
"And only after waking up, Eira waited for Mama to come home."
Adelyn listened patiently to every single report before her smile softened even further. "Then you sure have been a good girl."
She bent down slightly.
"Here ... Mama has a reward for you."
Leaning closer, she gently pressed a kiss against Eira’s soft cheek.
The little girl instantly beamed. Her smile became brighter than ever as she happily grabbed Adelyn’s hand.
"Thank you, Mama."
But the next second, her smile slowly disappeared. Her little brows gradually knitted together.
Adelyn immediately noticed the change in her expression.
Just as she was about to ask what was wrong—
Eira carefully lifted the hand she was holding and began inspecting it with unusual seriousness.
Adelyn didn’t understand at first.
Then the little girl slowly looked up at her. Her eyes had already turned watery.
"Mama ..." She sniffled softly. "Does it hurt?"
Adelyn blinked.
"Hurt?"
Even Karl looked puzzled.
He leaned forward from behind her.
"Sister-in-law ... did you get hurt?"
His tone, however, sounded more doubtful than worried, as though he didn’t quite believe it himself.
Adelyn was equally confused.
She was just about to tell them she wasn’t hurt—
When a faint sting suddenly spread across the edge of her palm. She instinctively drew in a quiet breath.
Only then did she notice the cut running across the side of her hand.
It wasn’t particularly large. But it was deep enough for Eira to notice.
"It’s hurting, Mama?" the little girl asked again through another sniffle.
Fresh tears rolled down her cheek before one tiny droplet again landed directly on Adelyn’s wound.
Hiss...
Adelyn couldn’t help reacting to the sudden sting.
Still, she quickly shook her head. Her eyes briefly fell upon the wound.
Blood still covered the cut, although most of it had already begun drying around the edges.
Since the injury was fresh and slightly deep, the salt from Eira’s tears naturally irritated it.
But it really wasn’t anything serious.
This wound was nothing to her.
"No, Baby," she coaxed gently. "It isn’t hurting."
She smiled reassuringly.
"It’s only a small scratch. Wounds like this don’t really hurt."
"But Mama was clearly in pain just now."
Adelyn paused. She hadn’t expected the little girl to notice even such a tiny reaction.
Now that Eira had seen it ...
How could she lie and say that it didn’t?
"Baby..." She slowly crouched again.
Using her uninjured hand, she gently cupped Eira’s soft little face while allowing the injured one to remain inside the girl’s tiny hands.
"Trust Mama. This little wound is nothing. It doesn’t really hurt. If you hadn’t pointed it out, I probably wouldn’t even have noticed it myself."
Eira stared at her with teary eyes that still shimmered with worry.
"Second Uncle Felix says wounds shouldn’t be left untreated." She spoke each word with utmost seriousness.
"They can cause in-fection."
The slight pause between the syllables told Adelyn everything.
This was probably the first time Eira had ever tried saying the word infection. She likely didn’t even understand what it truly meant.
She only knew it was something bad.
And because it was bad ...
She was worried about her mother.
Seeing her so genuinely concerned, Adelyn’s heart softened even more.
"My sweet girl..." She gently wiped away the little tears beneath Eira’s eyes. "We won’t leave it untreated."
She smiled tenderly.
"So can my baby stop crying now? It hurts Mama much more to see your tears than this little scratch."
Eira immediately nodded. Then without another second of hesitation, she turned toward her father.
"Dada." She called out with utmost trust.
Dylan was already standing nearby.
When Adelyn instinctively looked over, she froze slightly.
A first-aid kit was already resting in his hand.
She blinked.
When ... had he gone to get it?
What she didn’t know ...
Was that Dylan had been the very first person to notice the wound.
The moment Eira ran over to Adelyn, he had quietly gone to retrieve the first-aid kit.
"Come here." His voice remained calm, gentle. Yet there was a subtle firmness hidden beneath it.
"Let me take care of it."
Adelyn hesitated.
"Mr. Warren, weren’t you working?" She gave him a polite smile. "Please continue. I can handle something this small myself."
Karl immediately chimed in.
"Exactly, Brother!" He eagerly stepped forward. "You keep working. I’m here. I can bandage Sister-in-law’s hand."
As he spoke, he reached for the first-aid kit in Dylan’s hand.
However—
The instant his fingers stretched forward, Dylan’s gaze landed on him.
It wasn’t particularly fierce.
Nor did Dylan pull the box away.
Yet ...
He made absolutely no move to hand it over either.
Karl instantly froze.
"I ... I..."
He immediately straightened his posture before awkwardly withdrawing his hand. Scratching the back of his neck, he turned toward Adelyn instead.
"Sister-in-law, my brother’s work can wait. Tending to your wound is more important. he should give you priority."
Before Adelyn could say anything, he forced out an awkward smile and added more.
"Besides, he’s really good at treating wounds. So ... just let him do it."
Adelyn frowned immediately. She shot Karl a sharp glare. But the brat stubbornly avoided meeting her eyes.
Beside them, Eira had already exhausted the last bit of her patience. Her worries hadn’t eased at all.
She gently tugged on Adelyn’s sleeve.
"Mama ... let Dada do it. He won’t hurt you. He’ll be very gentle."
She then paused and added, "Don’t be scared. Eira will stay with you the whole time."
Looking into those hopeful little eyes ...
How could Adelyn possibly refuse?
She finally nodded.
"Alright."
Then she lifted her gaze toward Dylan.
Just as she straightened herself, her foot unexpectedly twisted beneath her. Her balance faltered.
But before she could stumble—
A strong arm wrapped securely around her.
"Careful."
Adelyn froze.
Slowly, she lifted her eyes. Her gaze met Dylan’s breathtakingly handsome face. Every feature seemed sculpted with almost impossible perfection.
Sharp.
Refined.
Yet effortlessly elegant.
For a fleeting moment, a strange thought crossed her mind.
Could someone really be this handsome?
She had seen him enough already, yet she still couldn’t bring herself to believe it.
She blinked, and their eyes met.
His gaze remained calm.
Gentle.
Yet there was something hidden within those deep eyes that made Adelyn instinctively look away.
The same unfamiliar nervousness quietly spread through her chest once again. The one that she always felt around him.
And she suddenly didn’t dare meet his gaze again.
It felt as though if she looked into those eyes one more time ...
Something inside her would quietly slip beyond her control.
Her instincts repeatedly warned her to pull away.
To keep her distance.
Yet ...
Another voice buried deep within her heart gently urged her to take that risk.
Just once.